The Pulse Beat of The Community

HURRICANE TRUMP HEADED TO CATEGORY FIVE

I served in both Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq). Today, the rights of African-Americans and people of color are under a full scale attack right here in our own land.

Our current Commander-in-Chief, said that white supremacists waving the Confederate battle flag are a “very fine person” at a protest, but a Black man taking a knee during the National Anthem are “sons of a bitch.”

The protest by majority black athletes against racism and injustice is not an attack on the American flag, the anthem, the military, and the country itself. It’s a statement expressing disapproval of the criminal justice system and racial discrimination; similar to many peaceful protests of the not so distant past.

Our current President has not met with the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, and the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders; each housed under the Department of Education.

Our current President, is currently discussing ending the Historically Black College and University Capital Financing Program, that helps historically black colleges finance construction projects on their campuses.

Our current President, is redirecting dollars away from the neediest public schools to affluent neighborhoods and privately-run charter schools. As white student populations decrease in public schools, people of color student populations continue to increase.

Our current President, and his political party have a full scale assault on the right to vote targeting people of color, the young and the old. In 2012, blacks outvoted whites for the first time in US History. In 26 states, under complete Republican control, more restrictive voter ID laws and new voting restrictions are in place for presidential elections.

Our current President, meet with the executive committee of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) in March, in which the CBC gave a book on issues; representing 78 million Americans, 24 percent of the total US population, and 17 million African-Americans, 41 percent of the total US, African-American population. Since then, the President has not said a word to the CBC.

Yet, when Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier, a black man, resigned from the President's American Manufacturing Council in protest of our current President’s response to white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia; the President immediately blasted the drug executive on Twitter; calling him and his company, a thief.

Only two days ago, our current President, twice conjoined the names of two countries, Namibia and Zambia, creating the nonexistent nation of “Nambia,” and told a group of African leaders at the United Nations, that many of his friends go to Africa to “get rich.”

Our current President, consistently says the most un-Presidential things about North Korea, Iran and US adversaries that one day may take the blood of people of color to back up; around the world.

Silence is not a choice for Black Americans and people of color. Get involved in your local school, neighborhood, city, county, and state politics. Don’t wait until the damage is done and it finally reaches you at home directly.